Pilot for street-railway cars



(No Model.)

W. SNEE. PILOT, FOR STREET RAILWAY CARS No. 443,014 Patented Dec. 16, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFIQE.

\V ILLIAM SNEE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE FOURTHS TO GEORGE W'ILBUR SPENCER, OF SAME PLACE, AND JAMES H. OANFIELD, OF MOKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

PILOT FO R STREET- RAILWAY CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,014, dated December 16, 1890.

Application filed August 13, 1890. Serial No. 361,883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM SNEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pilots for Street-Railway Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pilots for street-railway cars whereby there is but little liability of persons being run over and injured.

My invention is intended for use in connection with cable or electric cars, or other similar vehicles with which no draft'animals are employed, the object being to provide a pilot which will catch and hold a person who may be upon the track and prevent him from being injured.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a portion of a street-railway car with myimprovements applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa plan view of the pilot and its operating mechanism.

In the said drawings, the reference numeral l designates the frame of the pilot, consisting of horizontal curved side bars 2 and a rear crossbar 3, the latter being pivoted to the front of the carat 4. Near the other end of the frame is a cross-bar 5, with which is connected a series of horizontal bars 6, which are also connected with the rear bar 3. The ends of the side bars 2 extend be yond the bar 5 and are connected by means of a flexible wire rope 7.

Secured to the crossbar 3 are two rearwardly projecting arms 8, provided with weights 9, which are adjustable thereon, be ing secured in position by means of the set screws 10. These arms 8 are connected to arms 11 by means of links 5'. These arms 11 are secured to a rock-bar 12, pivoted in uprights 13, attached to the car frame or truck.

The numeral 14 designates a curved footlever secured to the rock-bar 12 and projecting up through the car-floor, so as to be actuated by the foot of the gripman or driver.

At the rear of one of the arms 8 is a lever 15, pivoted to the car-frame and having a shoulder 16, upon which the rear end of said arm rests. The shaft of lever 15 is provided with a counterbalance-weight 16, by which it is held in position.

17 designates a spring bearing against the foot-lever for keeping the parts from rattling.

The operation is as follows: The pilot is depressed bythe driver pressing down lever 14 with his foot, which will actuate rock'bar 12, with which it is connected, causing the arms 11 to be elevated, which, being connected with bars or arms 8, will elevate the latter and depress the pilot. Should a person on the track be struck by the pilot, he will be caught thereby without being injured, 0wing to the flexible rope 7.

The pilot may be elevated for clearing obstructions on the track by throwing lever 15 out of engagement with the arms 8, when the latter will be depressed by the weights 9. The pilot will return to its former position upon depressing the foot-lever.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A safety-pilot for railway-cars, consist ing of a frame and horizontal and transverse crossbars and a flexible rope extendingtrans versely across the front of the frame, sub stantially as described.

2. The combination, with the pivoted pilot and the rearwardly-extending arms secured thereto, having adjustable weights, of the pivoted foot-lever, the arms connected therewith, the links connecting said arms, and the arms secured to the pilot, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the pilot pivoted to the car body or trucks, of the rearwardlyextending arms secured thereto, having adjustable weights, the pivoted foot-lever, the arms connected therewith, the links connecting said arms, and the counterbalanced lever having a shoulder with which the arms of the pilot engage, substantially as described.

In testimony thatI claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

VILLIAM SNEE.

Witnesses;

J. J. MCCORMICK, J. II. GITTINGS. 

